The Gala’s 1930’s glamour was exquisitely portrayed in the Jazz Modern: Art Deco and the Avant-Garde theme. Guests were immediately greeted by towering urns designed by Andrew Skurman that transported them to a bygone era. In line with the Avant-Garde theme, the cuisine mirrored the American Industrial and European-influenced era with wondrous displays of caviar, fine assortments of cheeses, and decadent desserts.

Students from the Enterprise Program helped pass hors d’oeuvres while guests perused the selection of fabulous antiques. Attendants indulged in chilled Blue Angel Vodka paired with American Sturgeon caviar sprinkled with lemon on homemade potato chips and topped with a touch of sour cream. Guests continued to enjoy the Lamb Karsky on a bed of Potatoes au Gratin with an Apple Mint Relish.

As a grand finale, dessert-lovers satisfied their sweet tooth with an array of sweets: from Espresso Crème Brûlée to Raspberries with Crème de Cassis and Kirsch-Soaked Cherries with Chantilly Cream.

The successful gala raised funds for an excellent cause and provided an enjoyable experience to all involved. We look forward to seeing what next year’s show will bring.

This year’s opening night gala for the San Francisco Opera’s 91st Season was a Bay Area cultural soiree for the books. Internationally-renowned event designer, Colin Cowie, was selected by the Opera Guild to visually bring to life The Opera Ball 2013: The Garden of Good and Evil with his acclaimed eye for design.

As stilt walkers clad in greenery and leaves meandered among guests outfitted in ball gowns and tuxedos, audible bird chirping and ambient green lighting completed the experience for City Hall’s nighttime “garden party.” Cowie’s design featured whimsically eerie, yet mysteriously beautiful, crystal-draped and black feather-topped chandelier centerpieces that towered over the green velvet and copper sequin dinner tables. Attendees enjoyed dishes of Chilled Three Green Pea Soup with Apple and Smoked Trout and Grilled Grass-Fed Lamb Chops with Monterey Fog Artichoke-Potato Gratin and Late Summer Squash. Rounding out the banquet, White and Dark Chocolate Skulls filled with a Berry Parfait and Madagascar Vanilla Anglaise pleased both the good and the slightly evil alike at this enigmatic garden fete. After dinner, guests enjoyed a glittering opening night performance of Arrigo Boito’s Mephistopheles conducted by Music Director Nicola Luisotti. After the performance, the opera-goers followed fire dancers back to City Hall for the slightly more sinister after-party, where we tempted guests with bountiful savory stations, decadent hand-rolled chocolate truffles and cocktails as guests danced the night away.

While the grandness of the Opera’s opening night ball is always impressive, it is most important to note the driving cause: the Opera Guild takes all proceeds from ticket sales and funnels them into arts education for Northern California students in over 230 schools. Between this great mission and the added benefit of a great party, it is no wonder the Opera Ball sells out so fast!

Prior to the gala, The Avant Gardist, a fashion blog based out of San Francisco, got some inside information from the Opera Guild and the design skinny from Mr. Cowie himself. The article also referenced McCalls for our impending catering services. To learn what Mr. Cowie had to say about the then-upcoming Opera Ball and to see our mention, check out the article by Cynthia Riddell here: http://theavant-gardist.com/stay-tuned-with-colin-cowie/

On June 26, San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum put on a lovely dinner and cocktail reception in honor of the debut of their latest exhibit, In the Moment: Japanese Art from the Larry Ellison Collection.

Inspired by the collection, the menu focused on Japanese cuisine with our own California twist. Sake was paired with bites of Seared Loin of Lamb with Japanese Eggplant Puree on Rice Chips as well as Sushi Balls of Maguro, Hamachi and Avocado. Guests continued to dine on a salad of Smoked Duck Breast, Cherries, Hearts of Palm, Petite Lettuce, Tatsoi Spinach, Pickled Daikon drizzled with a Yuzu Basil Vinaigrette followed by a Seared Wild Northern Halibut accompanied by Bamboo Rice Risotto, Tokyo Turnips, Wilted Japanese Spinach and a Shoyu Shallot Butter Sauce. Under the warmth of the sunset flooding Samsung Hall, attendees enjoyed their meal at intimate wooden farm tables adorned with cascading white orchids, succulents and bamboo– the perfect floral touch to evoke the spirit of the Japanese Art.

While the opening night party is over, the exhibit is open to the public and in full swing. An avid patron of Japanese art and culture, Larry Ellison provides us a glimpse into his private collection of Japanese art, highlighting both the immediate beauty of
the works themselves as well as the dynamic relationship between collector and the collected. Make sure to head over to the Asian Art this summer to catch this exhibit before it ends on September 22.

It must be summertime! San Francisco’s annual Stern Grove Festival kicked off its 76th season yesterday afternoon with “The Big Picnic” – a celebratory benefit concert and luncheon supporting the Stern Grove Festival Association. Overjoyed to be a part of the outdoor music-filled event, we served up summer-ready dishes to over 400 guests such as our house-made Sun Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Deep Dish Quiches, Poached Salmon with “Dill Mousseline” and Blueberry Caulfoutti with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. The sun was shining as Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs headlined the event in support of Stern Grove’s mission of providing admission-free performing art shows throughout the Bay Area.

With many great artists on the Stern Grove’s 2013 line up – including Ramsey Lewis and Dee Dee Bridgewater, the San Francisco Symphony and Pink Martini, to name just a few – don’t let the summer pass you by without checking out a concert. The Stern Grove Festival takes place every Sunday through August 18 at 2:00pm, but be sure to get there early to snag yourself a good seat!

To learn more about the Stern Grove Festival Association and to find out who else will be featured on the 2013 lineup, please visit the Stern Grove Festival website at: http://www.sterngrove.org/

The McCalls team is overjoyed to be featured in Special Eventsmagazine’s May-June cover story on “25 Great, Big Caterers,” and we are honored to be the only representative from Northern California!

Featuring fun tidbits of information on the selected 25 biggest caterers worldwide, the article shares some of each company’s strategies for success in this recovering economy while also highlighting their standout traits. Special Events gives us accolades for our long-standing tradition of impeccable service thanks to our knowledgeable and dedicated wait-staff, many of whom have been with us for a decade or more. While we are a catering company built on a history of excellent service, the magazine also gives a nod to our drive to keep the industry on its toes with our trendsetting food and beverage programs.

With over 700 events on our calendar this year, we are absolutely thrilled to be ranked with these 25 top international companies all working to propel the catering industry into the future!